Information
and Communications Technology represents tremendous opportunities for
developing and transition economies. At the same time it also imposes
heavy burdens on their trade-policy makers with ICT responsibilities on
how to create incentives for the private actors to behave in new ways,
effectively promoting the WTO rules-based business environment. The
Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society emphasized effective
public-private sector partnership as a key to bridge digital divide.
The
need to promote public-private sector partnerships was clearly
formulated by ITC’s beneficiary countries. ITC’s empirical research
and consultations with ICT industry representatives and trade
policy-makers confirmed a growing demand from both sides to better
understand and apply in practice a new Public-Private Partnership
paradigm for Digital Economy. Transformation is underway, but building
new relationships and developing mechanisms more responsive to the
increased importance of the private sector is a painfully slow and
complex process.
The
proposed Regional Roundtable will focus mainly on the promotion of
public-private partnerships in the information and communication
technologies industry of transition economies.
Case
studies on strengthening ICT public-private dialogue involving
governmental, business and institutional actors will be used as
practical tools in the formulation of constructive responses to new
global information technology challenges.
These
will be reached through sharing the experiences of the ICT leaders and
providing answers on the following main questions - HOW TO:
- Make government a
better partner with the ICT private sector?
- Increase the ICT
private sector role in national trade policy formulation?
- Establish a
coordinating mechanism and conduct joint programs on a cost-sharing
basis?
- Maximize return on
public and private sector investment in ICT and national information
infrastructure development?
- To identify an
appropriate IT partner and technology supplier?
The
Roundtable will present the best practices in building new relationships
and co-ordination mechanisms between government and the business
community responsive to the rapid pace of information technological and
market developments.
The
Roundtable will also serve as a tool for presenting new business
opportunities and business matching of IT industries.
This is
a unique event where trade policy-makers and IT business communities of
15 countries of the Central and Eastern European region will meet to
address together critical issues of trade in information technologies
and e-commerce development.
For more Information,
contact: